Drake Clears One Billion Spotify Streams in January, Reinforcing His Untouchable Run

At this point, dominance from Drake almost feels routine—but zooming out, what he’s pulling off remains staggering.

Despite recent online chatter questioning streaming practices, Drake once again sits comfortably at the top of rap’s streaming mountain. According to Hip Hop All Day, the Toronto superstar is the most-streamed rapper for the month of January. That alone isn’t surprising. What is jaw-dropping is how fast he got there.

Just 20 days into the new year, Drake has already surpassed one billion Spotify streams. No other rapper has even crossed the 500 million mark in that same time frame. While artists like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, and Eminem continue to post massive numbers, none are operating on Drake’s level when it comes to pure volume and consistency.

The milestone speaks less to any single moment and more to longevity. Even critics who argue that Drake’s recent output doesn’t match the highs of his 2010s run have to acknowledge the reality: his catalog continues to be consumed at a historic rate, year after year.

Drake becomes the first rapper to earn 1 BILLION+ streams on Spotify in 2026, taking just 20 days 🔥📈

No other rapper has passed the 500m mark yet. pic.twitter.com/2MdvnDKs0P

— Hip Hop All Day (@HipHopAllDay) January 21, 2026

It’s still unclear what pace he’ll maintain throughout 2026, but all signs point toward another record-setting year—especially with anticipation building around his upcoming project ICEMAN. Fans have been calling for the album throughout 2025, and expectations are already sky-high.

That said, external factors could complicate the rollout. Drake is currently appealing the dismissal of his lawsuit against Universal Music Group, which he filed nearly a year ago. In the suit, Drake accused UMG of artificially inflating the success of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and promoting what he described as false and defamatory narratives about him.

In his appellate brief filed this week, Drake argues that the song framed those accusations as statements of fact, pushing back against the court’s earlier ruling. His filing states that the decision created an overly broad precedent suggesting that lyrics in rap diss tracks can never be considered factual claims.

UMG’s response brief is due on March 27, meaning the legal battle is far from over.

Still, numbers don’t lie—and right now, Drake is operating in a lane entirely his own. Whether loved, debated, or doubted, his streaming dominance continues to define the modern rap era.

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